One in ten single men would rather have an iPad 3 than a new partner – a new poll has revealed.

The research, by online casino RoxyPalace.com, found that 11 per cent of bachelors would rather get their hands on the recently released gadget than a new love interest.

And three per cent of those polled said they’d happily leave a current partner if they were rewarded with the gadget.

Women were shown to be more social creatures with 84 per cent stating that they would prefer a new partner than the tablet.

Interestingly just four per cent of those surveyed said they would prefer a non-Apple tablet computer to a new partner.

Ironicially, of those polled just under half (44 per cent) said they ‘had used an app to help resolve a relationship problem’ with 15 per cent ‘regularly consulting the internet for relationship advice.’

The poll also revealed that the tablet could help in building new relationships with nearly three quarters of those quizzed (71 per cent) stating that they would prefer to use FaceTime to talk with a prospective partner before meeting them.

A spokesman for RoxyPalace.com said regardless of the phenomenal demand for the product, the results came as a shock.

He said: “There has been a huge amount of hype surrounding the iPad 3 and for many it’s the ultimate gadget, but instead of simply giving up their hard earned cash it seems some men would be happy to remain on the shelf if it meant taking one home with them.

“The Apple product has a wide variety of functions but even the latest version can’t offer some of the things that a new romance can – but it seems many males are happy to forego this.

“Many women joke about becoming football widows when the season is in full swing but it seems some men are willing to take things a step further and are happy to steer clear of relationships all together to spend more time with their beloved toy.

“Women were found to be much more sociable than men, with only a small percentage willing to put their love life on hold to get the new iPad.”